Snakes can be a good pet, but only if you know which kind of scaly friend to avoid. Otherwise, you might end up in hospital like this zoo worker.
Based in Cincinnati, a female employee of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in Ohio had to be rushed for emergency care after a venomous snake bit her whilst on shift.
During the incident, the worker was based at was in the ‘behind the scenes area’ when the snake attacked her, running the risk of injecting her with its highly venomous liquid.
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The reptile was the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, which is the largest rattlesnake in the Americas and part of the viper family.
The diamondback snake can reach up to eight feet long and poses a real danger for those it encounters, so ensuring that you’re watching your step and surroundings is essential.
When the worker was in the reptile house, it viciously lunged at her at approximately 4pm on Thursday, 19 October.
The communications director of the zoo, Michelle Curley, released an update on the unnamed worker, stating that she is in a stable condition and received a partial bite and not a venomous bite that would require antivenom.
Thankfully, the section of the zoo was not open to the public, so it was an isolated area where the snake could not escape and attack others.
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Curley told the Cincinnati Enquirer: "No guests were ever at risk.”
But this isn’t the only snake bite to occur, as an Amazon driver is currently in critical condition after the same type of snake bit them whilst dropping off a package in Florida.
The worker was reportedly bitten by the rattlesnake as soon as she placed the package down at an address in Palm City, on September 18.
Speaking about the snake attack, the Martin County Sheriff's Office explained that the Amazon worker immediately became sick after it bit the back of her leg, just above the knee.
After becoming injured she phoned emergency services, and she was taken to a local hospital where she could be treated.
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A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office said: "Together, with the Delivery Service Partner, we’re looking into the circumstances surrounding this incident and continue to make sure that drivers understand they should not complete a delivery if they feel unsafe.”
But everyone had been issued a warning to be on the lookout and to be careful, adding: "If you are scrolling through a phone while walking or at all distracted, you might not see them until it's too late.”
"If you are wearing ear pods and not listening to the outside element, you will not likely hear that warning."